Broken Promises
by Nariko
Summary: Chihiro's daughter Sen, a strong willed girl, finds herself embroiled in the world of the spirits. She also discovers some dark secrets...including why Haku hasn't visited her mom yet...
1. Chapter 1

All right, everybody! I just saw Spirited Away for the first time and I absolutely adored it! And I had an idea for a fanfiction, so I have put the pen to the paper - or in this case, fingers to the keyboard - and I came up with this. So I hope you all enjoy it, sorry for the terrible summary on the outside, here's a longer and more complete one:

It's been a long time, but now Chihiro is a single mother witha daughter named Sen in memory of her encounter with the spirits. Haku still hasn't been to visit her, but Chihiro holds on to the promise that he made to her, all the while telling her daughter stories of her adventures. Sen, however, is very strong-willed and sneaks off to see if her mother has been telling the truth all this time. Against her wishes, Sen is thrown into the world of the spirits where she must tackled her adventures head-on and meet new allies and enemies. During her stay, she also discovers some pretty dark secrets...including one that explains why Haku has not yet fulfilled his end of the promise...

So I hope you like it, and for a disclaimer, I do not own Spirited Away, just Chihiro's daughter Sen. That's it, that's all. R&R please, and let me know what you think!

SPIRITED AWAY: BROKEN PROMISES

CHAPTER ONE – FANTASIES AREN'T REALITIES

"…And finally we were able to pull everything out. Can you believe it, Sen? There was so much junk inside that poor river spirit, it's because of all the pollution in this world…it's too bad, isn't it? But you know not to throw your garbage any which way, right sweetie?"

"Yes, yes, I know already, you've told me this story ten thousand times," grumbled Sen, pushing some stray brown hairs out of her eyes. "Along with every other adventure you supposedly had."

Her mother, Chihiro, looked down at her with a sad smile. "You always used to love these stories, Sen. What happened to make this all change?"

"I grew up."

Chihiro frowned slightly. "You're only thirteen, Sen. And I'm much older than you. Yet I still believe. I know that to you, it may seem like a simple fantasy, but –"

"Mother, stop nagging me about this," Sen interrupted with a glare. "Keep your fantasies to yourself. Fantasies have nothing to do with reality." With that, Sen stormed up the stairs to her room and shut the door.

Chihiro sighed. Back when she had been young, she had been nothing like her daughter. She had been apathetic, whiny, and was quite the pessimist. Sure, Sen was the spitting image of her mother back when she was her age, but her attitude was completely different. Sen was strong-willed and smart, and her confidence in trying new things was much admired. However, as she had grown into a confident teenager, she closed her mind to the stories Chihiro would tell her.

It had seemed like only yesterday when Chihiro had first told Sen about the spirit of the Kohaku River. Sen had been fascinated, and hung onto every word her mother said.

"Did he really promise to visit you one day?" Sen had asked eagerly, her eyes bright.

Chihiro had nodded with a big smile. "He did. And when he does, I'll introduce you to him. How does that sound?"

Sen had been delighted. "Oh yes, mommy, that would be great!"

Chihiro was in her late thirties now, and she was still waiting for Haku. She had married a fine man, but divorced after her husband accidentally stumbled across her diary and read all about her longing to see Haku again. He had been in a terrible rage, and had left Chihiro alone with a baby to take care of.

Chihiro had thought that she'd never hear from her husband again, but two weeks ago he had called saying that he wanted their daughter to come and visit him for a while. Chihiro had talked to Sen about this, and Sen wanted to meet the man she would call "Father", so everything was arranged. In one more day's time, Sen's father would be picking her up and taking her to live with him for a while. Then Chihiro would be all alone. Sure, Sen wasn't that much company these days, but she knew there would be a big difference.

_Oh, Sen,_ she thought sadly, reflecting on how much her daughter used to love bearing the name of the person Chihiro had been in the world of the spirits. Sen had been amazed and delighted with her namesake at the time. Nowadays, she just treated it like dirt.

_Even if you have changed, Sen, and you don't believe my stories anymore, I'll still miss you. _

Meanwhile, in Sen's room, Sen was also reflecting on how much she used to love her mother's stories. Her favourite one used to be the one with her mother riding on Haku when he was a dragon, when she'd helped him discover his real name. Imagine, riding on a dragon! It would be wonderful! But improbable. And imagine, watching little balls of soot working for the six-handed boiler man Kamaji. It would be such a cool sight! But impossible. Stuff like that didn't exist. It only existed in people's dreams. Her mother's dreams.

But not hers. No way. She knew better than that. Dreams were simply fantasies, and fantasies don't collide with realities. They just don't mix. End of story. Period.

Then Sen remembered the first time her mother had told her where she got her name. When Chihiro had been working for Yubaba, the witch had stolen her name and given her a new one: Sen. Everyone in the spirit world knew her by this new name, and she had done some pretty amazing things…assuming, of course, that they really happened. Chihiro had also told her daughter that by giving her the name Sen, it would serve as a constant reminder of all the good times she'd have, and so she could remember all about Haku.

_Stupid Haku…_ thought Sen. _He's all mother thinks about. It's so irritating. She should have given up on him a long time ago. Especially since he doesn't really exist. She thinks he's made a promise to visit her, but it's not true. There's no way. _

She also hated the situation because she knew that the name of Sen was not chosen because it was pretty or catchy or anything cool. It was only chosen so her mother could be happy and remember. Her selfish mother! Sen was a terrible name. But that was the name given to her, and she could not change it. But if she could…she'd jump at the chance.

Sen looked at the pile of clothes on her bed and the suitcase that was not yet packed. "I guess I might as well pack," she said to herself, and began doing just that. "I can't wait for Father to come and get me away from this place."

_A vulture…no, a bird. Or was it a bat? Whatever it was, it had wings, and it was flying into a high window of a tower. Once inside, it flew down a hole in the ground, and stopped when it reached the very bottom. The bird stared through bars of a cage, where a person was being kept. The captive's face could not be seen, but its steely green eyes flashed angrily at the bird. The bird laughed, the sound of a whiplash was heard, and the captive screamed in pain…_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP…

Sen's eyes flew open. Her alarm clock was beeping. So that's why her dream was interrupted. But then again, dreams always ended in cliffhangers.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEE–

Sen angrily shut of her stupid alarm and threw off her blankets. "Stupid alarm clock," she muttered. "I just wanna smash it to pieces sometimes…"

She knew that it was time to go for breakfast, but she decided to stay in bed a little while longer to reflect on her dream. It had been very dark, wherever the dream had taken place. And she was unable to tell if the bird and the captive were masculine or feminine. The captive's scream had given away nothing. It could have belonged to a male or a female. But as for the bird…the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that the bird was a female. But that was judging by the laughter. Birds don't really laugh like that. It was just a stupid dream. A stupid fantasy.

_Then why did it feel so real…?_

"Sen, get dressed and brush up!" her mother called from downstairs. "I'll make you bagel in the meantime. Your father's going to be here any minute now!"

Sen hurried to get ready, and she was done in three minutes. She rushed down the stairs to wolf down her bagel and had just swallowed the last bite when the doorbell rang.

Sen yelled, "I got it!" and ran to open the door. And there he was. The man that she could call Father. He was dressed in a suit and tie and carried a shiny black briefcase. He wore sunglasses and wore a smile on his face.

"So, you're Sen, aren't you?" he said happily. "My, look how big you are now! The last time I saw you, you were but a wee little baby! How old are you now?"

"Thirteen," Sen answered proudly. Already she'd made her first impressions. This man, her father, was a good one.

Chihiro and her father had a brief chat, and then it was time for Sen to leave. Chihiro hugged her daughter tightly.

"Mother, that's enough!" Sen snapped, breaking away. And before she closed the door, she added, "Forget about your stupid fantasies while I'm gone, okay? They'll never be real." Then she left without closing the door, and followed her father to his car to begin a new adventure.

She didn't look back. If she had, she might have seen her mother crying.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, chapter two is up! Thank you to my three oh-so-kind reviewers, it's thanks to you that I'm updating! And thanks so much for the support! . I have a rule, by the way - you give me three reviews, I give you (the readers) another chapter. Okay? Okay!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Spirited Away, but I do own Sen's character(though not her name...) Read and review please!

* * *

CHAPTER TWO – UNINTENDED MISCHIEF

Sen looked out the window of her father's car. The car was pulling up into the driveway of a large and expensive-looking house white house. No, house was an understatement. A mansion. It was incredible!

"This is my place," her father told her, tossing her a key with a smile. "Here's the house key. I have to work today, but I'll come back at lunchtime to visit, and later we'll go out for supper, okay?"

Sen nodded, eager to check out what was inside. She got out of the car and waved as her father drove away and out of sight. Then she ran into the house.

It was amazing. The entrance was at least five times bigger than the one at her mother's house. The floors were covered in sparkling clean tiles, and the walls were a pure white. The entrance had a closet for hanging up coats, and it was the size of a small office. There was a small little table propped against the wall opposite the closet, with a vase of beautiful roses standing on it, and there was a picture frame above it that portrayed a pear and an apple. Next to the table was a fancy-looking chair that was covered with plastic. Sen quickly took off her shoes so she would not dirty the whole place, and put them in the closet. Then she ran past the two glass doors that separated the entrance from the hallway.

The more she looked around, the more she was amazed. On the first floor, she found an enormously large kitchen, a TV room, a dining room, and a living room. The dining room and living room were connected as there was no wall between them, but there was a lovely arch to walk through. The kitchen had an island in the middle of everything, and the fridge and freezer were filled with food, most of which she'd never seen before. The TV room's TV was a large, 64-inch big screen. It was amazing. After conducting a thorough check of the first floor, Sen moved upstairs.

There were five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an office room on the second floor. Sen made sure she explored all of them. The two bathrooms were both blue in color and were very welcoming – for a bathroom, at least. The office room was painted white, and it wasn't all that large, but there were some bookshelves and a fancy desk there, complete with one of the newest computers that just came out. But as for the bedrooms…they were all four times bigger than her bedroom at her mother's house. There was so much space, Sen figured she could have a sleepover in those rooms without moving any furniture and still leave a lot of empty space. One of the rooms was a nice, light peach color, and the bed had not yet been fixed. Sen assumed that this room belonged to her father. The other rooms were green, navy and yellow, a light lilac, and red. The furniture in each room was slightly different, but suited the colors very well.

Sen's personal favourite was the lilac room, complete with a four-poster bed, a large dresser and mirror, and a nice desk to work at that was placed up against the large window through which the sun streamed. It was a very beautiful room, and the colors were very relaxing. To add to that, the room had so much empty space, yet so much furniture, that it looked like a perfect bedroom. Everything was spotless, so unlike her other home.

Sen undid her hair elastic with the intention of redoing her messy brown ponytail, but noticed that the purple on her elastic was the same color as the purple on the carpet, a darker shade than the paint on the walls. The only difference was that the elastic sparkled in the light.

Sen knew the story of her elastic by heart. It was something her mother had brought back from the world of the spirits, and had passed it on to her daughter. Sen didn't care much for the story anymore, but she kept the elastic because purple was her favourite color and try as she might, she was never able to find another like it in the stores.

" 'It will protect you,' Zeniba told me," her mother would say, quoting the witch's words. " 'It's made from the threads your friends wove together.' "

The first time she had heard the story, the young Sen had asked, "Can they be my friends, too?"

Chihiro had nodded with a gentle smile. "My friends will always be your friends too."

But as time passed, Sen grew to dislike the story, and certainly didn't want to be friends with her mother's friends, especially ones from her fantasies.

Sen spent the rest of the morning exploring and watching TV until her father returned for lunch with a big smile on his face. "How was your morning, sweetie?" he asked.

She gave him a happy nod. "Really good," she told him. "And yours?"

He smiled and nodded. "So, did you choose a room for yourself, Sen?"

Sen answered, "Yes, I have. Can I have the purple room, father?"

"Of course you can. You can have any room you like. So, Sen, what do you like to eat?"

"I normally have sandwiches at lunchtime," she informed him, and so her father got to work on making her a sandwich.

They ate lunch together, but it was a quick one, for her father had to leave to continue working. He left her with a smile and a promise that after work he'd take her out to an expensive restaurant.

Sen couldn't wait for her father to come back. She'd never been out to an expensive restaurant before; her mother couldn't afford it. And she definitely liked this place better than her other home. Her father was way cooler than her mother.

There was manic laughter, the sound of a whiplash, and then terrible screaming… 

Sen gave a tremendous jolt. That scream again! Where had it come from? Sen hit herself in the head to make sure she wasn't hearing things. But the scream echoed again, this time coming from outside her open window. Curiously, Sen hurried down the stairs, stepped into her shoes, and went outside, taking the house key with her and locking the doors behind her. There she waited, her ears working furiously to catch that scream again.

The scream echoed again a moment later, coming from the woods behind the house. Cautiously, Sen took a few steps into the bushes, brushing some branches aside. The scream was definitely coming from within the forest. So what if it wasn't a dream? What if there was someone terribly hurt who needed immediate help? This pushed Sen into a sprint, and she dashed through the forest, following the sounds of the scream until –

She stopped suddenly when she saw a large tunnel towering in front of her. The wind blew around her, pushing her in its direction.

That's when Sen's brain put two and two together, and something clicked. Her mother's stories…she had gone through this very tunnel to enter the spirit world. This tunnel was going to lead her into the world of the spirits!

_Hold the phone…_ Sen shook her head, amazed at how gullible she had been. There was no world of the spirits. It never existed. It was just in her mother's fantasies. It was probably just some abandoned theme park or something. And someone was in there, hurt or possibly dying, who needed help. Forgetting all about her mother's stories, Sen charged through the tunnel, saw the grass on the other side, but kept going.

She had been following the sounds of the screams, but now…the screams had just faded away. Sen looked around, seeing if she could find any signs of other human life in the area. That's when her nose caught a whiff of very good-smelling food. She followed the smell, assuming that there'd be a person cooking the food, and found herself in a street filled with restaurants.

"That's strange," she said to herself. "They're all empty…"

But still she continued, following the smell of the food. She finally found the source about a minute later, and was shocked to find that one of the restaurants' counters was loaded with platters of food.

The story of her mother's parents turning into pigs flashed before her mind briefly, but Sen ignored it. There was good food here. Why shouldn't she try some of it?

Sen leaned over and sniffed at one of the dishes. She had no idea what it was, but it sure smelled good. She took a small bite. Delicious! She went on to finish the thing, and moved to take another, but a thought stopped her.

_I don't have any money, and father's not here to pay for it!_ she thought frantically. _I shouldn't have done that…oh well. They probably won't notice one missing dumpling, or whatever it is._

Leaving the restaurant, she kept moving ahead past all the others buildings, trying to listen for the sound of screaming again. There was nothing. The sound had completely vanished.

Looking ahead, Sen saw that there was one more place she could check. There was a bridge ahead, and after that, a large bathhouse. _What is a bathhouse doing here?_ she wondered, but shrugged the thought aside. Perhaps there were people in the bathhouse.

She hurried across the bridge and knocked on the bathhouse doors. No one answered. Sen pushed on the doorknob to find that the doors were unlocked. She took a small step inside, and quickly shut the doors behind her. The wooden floors that greeted her were deserted. There was not a sound to be heard.

"Hello?" she called loudly. "Is anybody in here?"

No one answered her calls.

She tried again, louder: "Hello? Where is everybody?"

Still there was no answer.

Sen was about to try again when she heard something. Footsteps! So there was someone here!

She ran towards the sound, and something smacked her leg, hard. Looking down, she saw something small and green against her, moaning. The thing wore human clothes, but as far as she knew, there were no green, miniature humans in the world.

The green thing pushed itself away from her and rubbed its eyes with its webbed hands. _Webbed hands? Could that thing be…a frog!_

That's when the frog looked up at her, staring and blinking. Sen stared back at it, surprised at what she was seeing.

Then the frog screamed.

"AAAAAHHHH!"


	3. Chapter 3

First up, I want to make it clear that I will not post another chapter until I get three reviews. If you're an author on this site or any other site I'm sure you understand, so please take the time to review. Thanks!

To my reviewers:  
invisiblesplotch: Yeah, I'd love a mansion like that too. Why not put our dreams into our stories? . Thanks for the support!  
annalyn: Thank you so so so so so much for the review,I read it and I was really touched, that's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever told me about a story. Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy this next chappie!  
Again, thanks so much to these two, it's only with the ongoing support of reviewers that keep a story going!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Spirited Away or any of its characters. And as much as I (and many other fangirls probably do) wish, I don't own Haku...sexy beast he is...ah well. Ignore me and read the chapter!

* * *

CHAPTER THREE – SEN'S RETURN

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Sen stumbled backwards at the frog's scream and fell over. She might have been the complete opposite of her mother, but despite her strength, she had still inherited some of Chihiro's old – and remaining – clumsiness. But she was more concerned, at the moment, about the talking frog. How could a frog do these sorts of human things? And why was it dressing and speaking like a human? What was going on? Could he be the frog in her mother's fantasies?

_No_, Sen decided firmly, pulling herself to her feet. _A fantasy is a fantasy, not a reality. Argh, I wish I knew what was going on!_

That's when rushing footsteps caught her attention. The frog's scream hadn't halted yet, and it was attracting a horde of people. Suddenly men and women dressed in either blue or pink rushed into the room. They were all bearing human characteristics, but something of their faces hinted otherwise. Worst of all, they had all been attracted to the frog's scream, and were now all yelling themselves as they looked upon their guest.

"Ack! It's a human!"

"A human? Oh, no!"

"Oh, the smell! Unbearable!"

"What's a human doing here?"

And then a new shout interrupted the chatter:

"SEN!"

Sen was once again knocked off her feet by a blur of pink. Someone was hugging her…but who? And why?

The frog stopped screaming and everything went quiet. The pink blur, who was no longer a blur but a young woman, released Sen and then pulled her to her feet. The woman was like everyone else, but there was something different. She was taller and her face was most definitely a human one. She had long brown hair tied in a low ponytail and was currently wearing a very happy smile.

The woman looked around at everyone. They were all staring in shock, but Sen could hear a few mutters and murmurs here and there.

"Sen? _The_ Sen?"

"That little girl whose parents Yubaba turned into pigs?"

"Is it really her?"

The frog, having slightly recovered from his shock, said, "Lin, how can you be sure? Certainly it can't be Sen! It's been too long!"

"And how would you know?" the one called Lin snapped back angrily. Her voice had a hint of sarcasm to it. "None of us know how much time has passed – it could have been only a month for all we care! Time passes differently anyways! Besides, look at her!" Lin then shoved Sen forwards a bit, and she gave all the stares a defiant look. "She hasn't changed one bit!" She looked at Sen quizzically. "You _are_ Sen, aren't you?"

A little confused, Sen nodded. "Yeah, I'm Sen. But who are you, really? I don't know you."

Lin looked terrible offended. "You mean to say you don't remember me? After all I did for you? Bet you remember everyone else, don't you!"

Sen wanted to say, "But I'm not the Sen you think I am!" for she knew they were mistaking her for her mother, but she never got the chance to speak. She was suddenly tightly surrounded by everyone, and they were all asking eager questions or shouting out welcomes. Sen tried to push her way out of the mob, but it was very difficult. Struggling to get free, her mind raced. _What is this place? It's exactly how mother always described it, and yet…it can't be, it's just not possible. So what is this? Some sort of dream? Or nightmare? _

Just when she thought the people would swallow her up completely in their mob, an old but clear and demanding voice rang out across the room.

"Everybody out of my way!"

In just two seconds, silence enveloped the room and everyone had moved away, leaving Sen standing in the middle of the hall by herself to face what was coming. What she saw made her gasp.

A giant baby, its head barely touching the ceiling, wearing a bright red diaper. And next to it, much, much shorter, was an old woman in a navy blue dress with a lot of grey hair tied up in a bun. She had a large nose and looked quite angry and frazzled.

"What's all the commotion about, idiots?" she demanded. "What's this I here about Sen being back?"

She said the name with distaste, and Sen knew exactly who this was. This was Yubaba, the evil witch her mother had told her about. But why was she seeing all of these characters her mom knew in her fantasies? Could it really be real? No. That was impossible.

Yubaba turned to glare at Sen, who simply glared back. This surprised Yubaba, and her gaze grew colder. "The real Sen would never look at me like that. This is just a look-alike."

The giant baby stepped forward, towering over Sen, inspecting her. Sen stood tall, but she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

"It's Sen, mommy," the baby said in a loud voice. "I can tell. See her elastic? I helped make it myself."

Everyone leaned in closer to get a glimpse of the sparkling purple hair elastic Chihiro had passed down to her, and the room broke out into mutters again.

Yubaba yelled, "Silence!" and as the room once again quieted she walked slowly towards the girl, walking around her in circles, inspecting her. After a moment she said, "Alright, I believe you, it's Sen." Cheers broke out, but the witch silenced them with a dirty look. Then she leered at Sen. "So, Sen, what made you decide to come back?"

Sen knew now that it was pointless in denying who they thought she was. So she decided to lie a little. "Just, uh, visiting," she said, and her voice grew stronger and more confident. "I wanted to come back for a little bit." After all, what harm could a little lie do?

"A visit, you say?" Yubaba said with a twisted smile. "Well, for you to stay in this bathhouse for your visit, you'll have to renew your contract, or else I'll just turn you into a pig like I did your parents. What do you say?" She flicked a wand she'd been holding and a paper and pen materialized in front of her.

Sen took the pen and signed her name. "Fine," she said. And she handed her contract back to the witch, who took it with a wicked snicker.

"You can work with Lin again, like you did last time you were here. Work starts tomorrow. Better get ready, Sen! Because if you don't work, I'll have to be cross with you!" She turned to the giant baby. "Come, sweetie pie, come upstairs to play with mommy," she simpered, and the baby followed her away.

As soon as the witch was out of sight and earshot, everyone swarmed up to Sen again, yelling and screaming. But this time Sen fought even harder to break free, not even trying for a bit of patience. And then she yelled, "Shut up!" Everyone backed away in surprise, staring. Sen continued, "You're all bothering me. Now go away and leave me be."

Still in a daze, they all left, whispering amongst themselves. Lin remained behind, grinning in satisfaction.

"I guess you learned a few new tricks, huh Sen?" she said happily, and a little enviously. "I could never get naggers off of me for my life!" Taking Sen by the hand, she added, "Come on, I bet you don't remember where our room is."

* * *

Yubaba entered the dungeon laughing. "Guess what?" she said to the captive, her eyes flashing. "Sen has returned. And I've put her under contract again."

A gasp greeted these words. Then the captive yelled, "No, you can't! How could you be so –"

"Shut up or I'll have you whipped around for a little bit again," Yubaba retorted. The captive remained silent. "I thought as much," Yubaba sneered. "Poor, poor you. Well, that's what you get for always getting in my way. Turning my baby into a mouse… But not anymore. And since I've taken away your powers, you're helpless. Only I know you're here, and I've destroyed the key. You'll never escape."

And she left the dungeon the same way she had entered: laughing. And long after she'd gone, the laugh still echoed against the dungeon walls and in the captive's ears. And the captive wept.


	4. Chapter 4

Alrighty, I'm ba-ack! I'm so so so so sorry for taking so long to update – my computer had a terrible virus and I couldn't do anything and some stuff got deleted and yeah… I hope this next chapter will make up for it…thanks for waiting!

Thank yous:

Invisiblesplotch and Htari: One of you is right about who the dungeon prisoner is…but I'm not telling who! You'll have to keep waiting for a little while.

Kanon-Chan: I wanted to see Howl's Moving Castle really badly but I couldn't…I hope it comes on DVD soon.

Inguz: Thanks for the support! I've been really lagging behind in your story since the virus…I'll try to catch up soon!

Sakura-chan299: I'm glad you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Spirited Away or its characters. I own Sen (but not the name) and her personality, but that's about it. Oh, and the plot. I own that too. Enjoy!

* * *

CHAPTER FOUR – TREK TO THE TOP

"Good thing I kept your old outfit here," Lin was saying as she rummaged through the cupboard. "You haven't grown much, have you?"

Sen shrugged. "I haven't kept track," she said.

"So, do you remember what it was like working here?" Lin asked curiously. "Or have you forgotten that too?"

Sen racked her brains for the things her mom had told her about working in the bathhouse. She had learned a lot about it. And she could use that knowledge to make things easier for her. Perhaps this dream wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I remember," she answered, "but I don't know if I'm any good."

"So, you're still a klutz, huh?" Lin said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll put up with you again. Ah, found them!" She tossed the pink clothing that Sen presumed her mother had worn and Sen caught them and inspected them. They were a little bit dirty.

"I guess I should wash these," she said to herself. Then she shook her head. "Nah, they're probably going to get dirty again anyways."

"You know, I'm a bit surprised," Lin said suddenly, and Sen looked at her quizzically. "You haven't even asked where Ha—uh, never mind."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sen curiously, realizing that there was something Lin wasn't telling her.

Lin gave a laugh so loud that it had to be fake. "Never you mind, Sen, it's nothing you should worry yourself over! So, what's life like on the other side?"

Sen shrugged. "Could be better, I guess."

"And the new school? Did you make friends?"

This time, Sen didn't know what to answer. Her mother had never talked about her days at school. So, she decided to use herself as the example this time.

"Oh, yes," she said, nodding vigorously. "I've got loads of friends. I even made the soccer team –" she stopped right there, realizing that she was walking into a danger zone. She didn't want to risk blowing her cover.

Lin, however, didn't suspect anything; she was in awe. "Soccer?" she exclaimed. "Wow, I never knew you played soccer! You must be good!"

Sen nodded proudly. That was something she was definitely good at, but her mother sure wasn't. She supposed Chihiro had never told anyone that she lacked proper athletic ability.

"I would never have thought it of you!" Lin exclaimed. "Well, it's getting late. We have to work tomorrow. Shall we catch up then?"

Sen nodded again. "Sure," she said. And the two of them went to bed.

But Sen didn't fall asleep right away. She couldn't shake off the feeling of excitement surging within her. She couldn't wait for day. _This looks like it's going to be fun! I can't sleep at a time like this!_ And sleep she didn't. Instead, she quietly stepped out of her sleeping bag and proceeded out of the room.

The hallway was mostly dark, dimly lit by a few dying candles. Sen followed the lights and found herself facing an elevator door. _Hmm,_ she mused. _I didn't think they'd have those here._ She pressed the button and after about ten seconds, the doors opened. She boarded the elevator and it began to take her up.

It stopped at the next floor, but Sen didn't get off right away. She wanted to go to the very top. And when it finally stopped at the top, she ran out, and promptly hit the wall.

"Ouch!"

The force of the crash pushed her backwards, forcing her to land on her behind. Rubbing any part of her body that ached from the collision, Sen picked herself up and looked around.

It was completely dark.

_Get a hallway nightlight, why don't you?_ Sen thought furiously, now rubbing her forehead. _Who keeps every single light off at night? What if they needed some bathroom time? They'd stumble around for hours before finding one._

And that's when she realized that a bathroom was just what she needed right now. _Oh, crud. This is just what I need right now._ With her hands against the wall, she began to move forwards through the hall, guiding herself so she wouldn't crash into another wall.

She found a door pretty easily, but when she opened it, all she saw was blackness, and she heard snoring. Definitely not the right place. She took small steps back and gently shut the door so not to awaken the sleeper, whoever it was. Then she kept on walking through the hall.

The next door she found led to another long, dark hallway. Sen didn't want to wander too far, so she decided to save that hallway for after, if she still didn't find a bathroom.

The next three doors were all locked, and Sen didn't want to push her luck by trying to get in. She did, however, listen carefully with her ear against each door, trying to make out toilet sounds, in case someone was currently in the bathroom. There was nothing.

The following door was that of the elevator, which Sen knew guaranteed the fact that as long as she was close to a wall, she would eventually reach the elevator again. That was good. Then, using her hands to guide her, she took off through the hall one last time.

She knew exactly where the door would be. She opened it a slight crack, listened carefully for any sounds of movement or indication that someone was there, and when she heard only silence, she took a step in. She felt around until she felt a wall, and then began to journey through the room.

At the second corner, her feet gave way from under her and she fell with a cry, quickly clamping a hand to her mouth. But she didn't stop at the floor. She fell further and further, down what she suddenly realized to be a narrow staircase with no railings. One leg slipped over the edge, the other one following. In a panic, she grabbed the stair with her hands, her legs dangling into darkness that knew no depths.

Sen gulped when she found no visible bottom. If she let go now, would she hit the floor in five seconds or five minutes? Or worse, five hours?

_No,_ she thought determinedly. _I can't think about that. Concentrate on getting back onto the stairs, give up the bathroom trek, and head back to my room._

Her plan was easier said than done. Sen had strong arms and legs, but for some reason, she just couldn't lift herself back onto the steps. It was almost as if something was pulling her legs down, down into the blackness. It just wasn't working.

Suddenly one of her hands slipped, and then there was one hand, only one hand holding on. Sen tried to swing her right hand back up, but it, too, wouldn't budge. Along with her legs, that arm was being held down by some invisible force. To make matters worse, her left hand was starting to slip. If this kept up, she wouldn't last for more than a few minutes.

Still, she kept holding on. Sweat poured down her cheeks from the effort to keep her grip on the wooden step. Her hand was getting more and more sweaty. It was slipping more and more. She wasn't going to last much longer…

Sighing, Sen knew that there was no way she'd be able to get back up, and was ready to accept it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let herself fall.

Only, she didn't fall. Someone was holding her up. Someone had found and saved her!

Her rescuer pulled her up back on to the steps. The person was holding a torch in one hand, illuminating the place. The stairs led down into blackness. Even with the torch, Sen couldn't see a thing below. Instead, she took a good look at the person who was with her.

It was a boy, who seemed to be almost her age, maybe a bit older. He had brown hair and steely green eyes, and wore an outfit similar to the pink one Lin had given her, only it was white and blue. The boy had a hard stare, but something in his eyes made Sen wonder if he was all there. The way he looked at things was as if he saw through them, or didn't see them at all. But when he looked directly at Sen, she wondered how his gaze became so focused and almost icy.

"What do you think you're doing down here?" he demanded in a low but visibly angry voice. "You're already in enough trouble as it is!"

"What do you mean?" asked Sen, confused.

The boy sighed in exasperation. "You renewed your contract with Yubaba! She won't let you get away this time! Speaking of which, you shouldn't have come back at all!"

Sen opened her mouth, but the words were caught in her throat as the boy pulled her into an embrace. She was in such shock that she didn't even try to resist. She just let him hug her for a while. And then she realized that he was near tears. She took to patting his back awkwardly, and was surprised to feel a terrible, long bump that etched across his back. A terrible scar.

"Your back!" she cried in alarm, breaking away. "What happened to your back?"

At those words, the boy's eyes went from soft back to steely again. "Never mind," he said, suddenly business-like. "You need to get out of this room." He pulled her to her feet, and began to guide her up the stairs. He had suddenly lost all the gentleness that was in his embrace. His grip was hard, and he moved quickly, so that Sen was almost running behind him.

Soon they reached the top of the staircase, and the boy led her to the door of the room. "The elevator is at the end of the hall," he said in a hard voice. "Get back to your room, and don't ever come back up this way again. You never know what might happen." With that, he released his grip on her arm and began to descend the stairs.

Sen struggled to get the word out, but she knew it was the right one. "Haku!"

The boy turned back to look at her. The torch he carried illuminated his frown.

"Thank you," Sen said quietly.

Haku gave a curt nod, and continued down the stairs until he and the light of his torch were both out of sight.


End file.
